City Power: Load shedding could impact power restoration
Just after Eskom announced stage 3 load shedding on Friday, City Power in Johannesburg quickly followed suit.
The local utility activated stage 3 from 2 pm on Friday, lasting through the weekend, as Eskom works to replenish its emergency reserves.
Eskom explained that the return of load shedding was due to a loss of 2,700 megawatts over the last 14 hours.
READ MORE: Stage 3 load shedding returns
City Power urged customers to conserve electricity, as the power system is under strain, and noted that supply could be restored at any moment.
Customers have been advised to treat all electrical points as live.
Earlier this week, City Power was already facing significant pressure, working around the clock to repair numerous outages caused by heavy rains and flooding in Gauteng on Wednesday night.
“The reintroduction of load shedding comes at a time when City Power is dealing with a high number of outage calls. Those outages are linked with damage to infrastructure resulting from localized flooding across the city.
“The added pressure from load shedding may cause further delays in responding to outstanding outages,” said City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena.
On Thursday alone, the utility received over 5,000 outage-related queries, most related to the severe rainfall.
“During this period, we often encounter an increase in the number of cases of cable theft and vandalism,” Mangena added.
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